First third-party Steam Machine achieves PC gaming power for just $500

Valve has been kind enough to reveal almost every detail regarding its upcoming attempt to bring PC gaming to the living room, the Steam Machine. The company has revealed the specs of various beta models that will be shipped out for testing, so we know the types of Machines we’ll be getting down the line. However, the one detail Valve has yet to reveal is the price. A third-party Steam Machine was recently revealed by iBuyPower, and with it, the price — an affordable $500.

Viable gaming PCs are expensive, and since the Steam Machine is essentially just a pre-built gaming PC that uses off-the-shelf parts, it was safe to assume that it would cost around the same price of one you’d build yourself. Unlike game consoles, gaming PCs tend to be more expensive in both the short and long-run, as parts quickly become outdated and are expensive to begin with, and the openness and malleability of the platform means the hardware needs to be updated more often.

Game consoles are already expensive enough — when Microsoft originally announced the $500 price of the Xbox One at E3 this year, the crowd was silent, and the presenter (now infamously) walked offstage and commented aloud on the audiences’ disapproval. In this day and age, a high-end gaming PC costs more than $500, but iBuyPower’s upcoming Steam Machine will not breach that threshold.

Taking the split design of the PS4 and the green glow of a Microsoft console (or the red glow of all those broken Xbox 360s), the iBuyPower prototype Steam Machine console is a sleek set-top box aiming for a 2014 launch. The company is working on two different models of its third-party Steam Machine, codenamed — of course — Gordon and Freeman. The only difference between the two models is the light bar running around the middle of the unit, with one clear and the other black when not illuminated.

The two models were said to be running a build of Steam OS, though the operating system is not yet complete.

Unfortunately, iBuyPower did not divulge the specs of the two models, but it did note that all Steam games will run at 60fps at 1080p, which is no easy feat — especially in the wide, varied world of PC games. That means the specs of the boxes will be above average, as Steam does have some resource-heavy games. There could be a bit of leeway here, as being able to run all Steam titles at 60fps with a 1080p resolution isn’t the same as doing so on the games’ highest settings, which iBuyPower did not appear to specifically mention.

Still, being able to run Steam’s most resource-heavy games at 60fps with a 1080p resolution on the lowest settings will get the job done for gamers considering the Steam Machine’s ease of setup and Xbox One price point. We’ll know more about the iBuyPower’s Steam Machine at CES in January, so stay tuned.

“Viable gaming PCs are expensive, and since the Steam Machine is essentially just a pre-built gaming PC that uses off-the-shelf parts, it was safe to assume that it would cost around the same price of one you’d build yourself. Unlike game consoles, gaming PCs tend to be more expensive in both the short and long-run, as parts quickly become outdated and are expensive to begin with, and the openness and malleability of the platform means the hardware needs to be updated more often.”

Please stop repeating this misinformation. I built a budget PC that can run any game (the most resource-intensive games on lower settings) for about ~$400. If I had gone up to $500, I would be able to put those games on medium-high settings – needless to say, better quality than either of the new consoles.

In the long run, PC gaming is MUCH cheaper – just look at the prices of games. Repairing a PC is also a simple matter of buying a new component to replace a faulty one, instead of having to buy a whole new box.

And no, openness does NOT mean that you need to upgrade very often. Top-of-the-range graphics cards from over 5 years ago can still easily run today’s hungriest games. Openness means you have the OPTION to upgrade every day, or every week, or every year, or whatever you choose.

Just a random person

Ok.

Stacey Bright

You left out the part where PC components commonly have 3 years or more of warranty, as opposed to the standard 1 year with console.

Basil Nolan

It may sound pretty old, but with PCs you also have the power to do a lot more things.

Also, with GeForce Experience or Catalyst, video cards are being optimized for every single game via software. A gaming PC expensive? Beside console exclusives, there’s more to PCs than consoles besides being just expensive machines that get outdated every month.

Naipier

The old “PCs are outdated the instant they are sold” meme needs to die. It has been perpetuated for far too long and simply hasn’t been true for quite some time.

Naipier

“Please stop repeating this misinformation.”
Sorry, James Plafke doesn’t deal with straight facts. He
embellishes and spins the details to match the narrative set by his
master over at Ziff Davis inc. Cant have facts get in the way of the issue…

Mathew McGuire

Stick your PC up your ass , Computers are becoming obsolete gaming wise. Computers are only used by Police, grandpas. grandmas and pimple faced nerds with no friends.

Consoles win in this fight my friend and statistics support my theory there are 3 times + as many people who play consoles over playing PC for games u mad?

qw

LOL. Go away, retard.

Purple-Stater

ROFL. So, by your logic consoles are obsolete because there are many times the number of people playing games on their smartphones than consoles.

Robert Foster

I’m sorry that those people you call “pimple faced nerds” created the World Wide Web, common websites and consoles you use. Get your ignorant head out of your ass.

nico05179

And what do you think these new consoles are made of? Retarded dumbasses like you need to go back to school and get a decent education, cause your ignorance is abysmal and an offence to console gamers in general!

Singh1699

Numbers have been a sound argument. Chamkaur and Thermopylae show that.

Perion Robinson

Except its bull. The number of people playing pc and console is evening out.

Singh1699

Never been sorry

Perion Robinson

In other news, steam passes the number of xbox-live users, reaching 65 million users…

Peter

How old are you? I’d say 14-16 years? You’ve never owned a proper PC and have no knowledge of how any technology works or the fact that your shitty console is built using the same type of components as a PC. So in essence, STFU you clueless jackanape!

Kevin

Ignorant fool… you think you know shit, yet you no nothing at all. Your pathetic! Without us “nerds”, we wouldn’t be as advanced as we are today, you wouldn’t have an Xbox to play, or a smart phone to use. So shut the hell up. Also, steam has more active users then Xbox live does. Get your shit straight.

Purple-Stater

Indeed. There is a definite difference between “viable” and “high-end”. $500 for a PC when you don’t have to budget for an OS makes for a pretty nice set-up.

Wakeupcall

For $700 People can build themselves a PC that can run any game maxed out 1080

Robert Snashall

Don’t forget you can watch porn much more easily on a computer than a console… Lets not forget what’s really important

Robert Snashall

Don’t forget you can watch porn much more easily on a computer than a console… Lets not forget what’s really important

korvics

Somehow Forbes and The Verge were able to get the specs for the machine, but not you guys. Pretty lame….

I know this isn’t as detailed as some would like, but still a bit more than what Extremetech could provide.

Mark

That sounds like Kaveri. An APU would make sense for this.

The GPU won’t have nearly as much grunt as the consoles though..

korvics

doubt its Kaveri. It’s probably Richland (without dGPU on die) and a discreet card, which isn’t great, but as long as the thing does run games @1080p/60fps I still think its an awesome little box.

Snipes

If the above specs are correct, the GPU should have roughly 46% better performance than the PS4 GPU.

Singh1699

r9 270 is fine, it’s an undervolted/clocked 7870/270x. Honestly if people want to play medium-high 1080p with no aa it’s perfectly acceptable.

It’ll likely run 1080p decently for the next 2 years. On top of that, most games don’t even look good on max. A mix of high and low (for example I hate ssao and turn it off) usually looks the best.

I’m on a 7970 and even on both bf3 and bf4 I didn’t max out because it just looked too ‘shiny’. Obviously if I was able to get streaming to my hdtv (plasma) going I’d max, but lcd is different.

iron_dinges

Won’t be long before we see aftermarket coolers and overclocking software.

iron_dinges

Although I prefer Intel chips for myself, it’s great to see AMD leaping ahead almost everywhere we see – pretty soon Intel will be forced to drop their prices if they want to remain relevant.

Snipes

AMD has been the primary choice for budget builds for years. People with the budget to do so are still going to be opting for Intel. I doubt that we will see any significant reductions in Intel’s pricing because of this.

Phobos

Then I guess you are limited on which video card to install if it has a built in power supply.

korvics

Excellent point. I was thinking about that too. :)

Peter

AMD? Fuck that shit. Failure imminent from the get go. Stick with Intel.

Chris Boose

Supposedly the hardware is 100% customizable, but if the PSU is wired in, that’s not true…

david

if steam can make crossfire work, then building a decent gaming pc will be as easy as getting one of those a-series apu, crossfire it with cheap video card like 6670 and getting a super frame-rate … i’m sure i can build one for around $400.

ferjeezy

Hybrid crossfire, especially with the APUs gives false results. The frame time variance is unbearable. I used to have dual graphics setup and immediately turned around and sold the 6670.

VirtualMark

It’s actually a nice looking console, I prefer the design to either the PS4 or Xbox One. It’s a shame about the control pads though.

Basil Nolan

Agreed. Total controller mismatch. Hope Volvo, I mean, Valve can oblige on the console-controller dichotomy.

Scott Jackson

I will reserve my judgment on the gamepad until after I’ve tried it. The bigger concern here should be the number of compatible games with Steam OS and if developers are going to be willing to develop for it on the same level as Windows. I don’t really understand Valve’s decision to use a Linux based OS other than Gabe Newell hates Microsoft. To me that is not a good reason to steer away from the clearly superior OS for gaming.

Guest

Steam launched on a Linux kernal because it is more accessible for people with less, money with it be free, If people had just enough money to make say a good pc but without windows, or a average one with windows, they might go well Steamos is free lest make the good pc. From that Steam would then have possible trapped one person, its all about Valve trying to copy what consoles do in locking them down and make money from the game sales. Other than that of course they had to use Linux it has far less overhead and it means they could actually custome build the os.

Guest

Steam launched on a Linux kernal because it is more accessible for people with less, money with it be free, If people had just enough money to make say a good pc but without windows, or a average one with windows, they might go well Steamos is free lest make the good pc. From that Steam would then have possible trapped one person, its all about Valve trying to copy what consoles do in locking them down and make money from the game sales. Other than that of course they had to use Linux it has far less overhead and it means they could actually custome build the os.

Joe Teale

Steam launched on a Linux kernal because it is more accessible for people with less money, with it be free. If people had just enough money to make say a good pc but without windows, or an average one with windows, they might go “well Steamos is free” lets make the good pc. From that Steam would then have possible trapped one person, its all about Valve trying to copy what consoles do in locking them down and make money from the game sales. Other than that of course they had to use Linux it has far less overhead and it means they could actually custome build the os.

iron_dinges

You don’t have to use that controller. Chances are, you’ll be able to buy a steam box without the controller.

ferjeezy

The controller is required to be bundled with. One could always sell it off and use a different controller.

Phobos

So no optical drive? This guys really need to show how well Steam OS will work before they launch the so call Steam Machines, If it doesn’t live to its potential people will end up installing windows and it no longer is a steam machine but another windows pc. Now they make the claim that it can run games at 60fps at 1080 but where is the proof? and did they run them on windows or steam os?

Anton Gl

There is no problem for install Windows from USB for years… As well as usb-optical drive is an option (to borrrow from someone for couple of days).

Robert Foy

Are you dense? Steam boxes have been said, and have always been said, to be running either linux or SteamOS which btw is just another version of linux. And who cares about physical media? Name one PC game that you can’t get a digital copy of. This isn’t aimed at your average limp dick CoD console kiddie. And as far as “proof”, this isn’t some corporate hack we are talking about, this is Valve, they know more than ANYONE that we will test, tweak, and take apart every little thing that the Steambox does. They know we don’t pull punches, they know we don’t give a shit about being nice, we don’t give a shit about corporate shills. If they make a promise like that, they know they will get ripped to threads if they lie blatantly.

Again, no one cares about cd/dvd/bluray physical media, and as Anton GI said, installing software via USB stick is the way a lot of people install an OS.

Phobos

yes kiss Valve’s ass all you want some people still care of having an optical drive.

Singh1699

Try without one, trust me bro. It leaves more room for fans and rads.

Singh1699

No optical drive 6 years and running. Just get third party independent isp. 50 dollars 45/4 and you get applauded for seeding by their staff trololol

csgo1337

“Unlike game consoles, gaming PCs tend to be more expensive in both the short and long-run, as parts quickly become outdated and are expensive to begin with, and the openness and malleability of the platform means the hardware needs to be updated more often.”

As soon i read this i wanted to immediately stop reading this article. Clearly the author is uneducated on PC components and the time frame in which PC components are considered High End, Medium, Budget, and Low End.

Anyone else notice the slight backtrack?

“Game consoles are already expensive enough —”

Flexis

That controller looks nice for some games that require pointer precision but I hope you can still connect with a thumbstick controller for other games, maybe even an xbox or playstation controller. That would really pull me over the line.

iron_dinges

That is Valve’s stated aim with Steam OS. Many Steam games already have x-input support.

IKROWNI

You can already use those controllers and also choose amongst thousand of others.

This is a PS4 rip-off! It looks like Valve is sticking it to the PC elitist overlords! LOL!!!

IKROWNI

This is just the budget brand you know the lowest rung on the ladder. And it probably already outperforms both of the consoles. Wait for mid and high end.

mgrexx

Outperform, you are dreaming bro!!
Wait for mid and high end?……and don’t forget your lottery winnings either, to pay for that, son! PC gaming is for tools who like blowing money in the wind and like to pretend they are special!! Well, you are “special”…LOL!!

IKROWNI

Really? Lol too funny if this version only costs $500 with r9 270x then with an extra $200 should be able to start closing in on an r9 290. So please stop with your bad case of buyers remorse I’m soooo sorry you got stuck with a last gen console, barely capable of 1080p @ 60 fps 10,000 dpf with graphics turned down. Meanwhile I’ll be enjoying 4k soon with 100,000 dpf @ over your puny 60 fps all while running around in VR with way better games at a fraction of the price, and a multi year warranty for my parts. Your console is getting kinda dusty why do t you take it apart and clean it? Oh yeahhh forgot your not allowed. But hey rumble motors look like a big improvement!

mgrexx

Don’t be delusional, you tool! This $500 unit will be a bare bones entry level pc equivalent…which costs $299 at at store.

PS4 is more than capable of handling this PS4 clone!

pornstar69

Go drink bleach Please

mgrexx

You first pstar….oh wait, after you finish sucking and swallow that jizz, dbag!!

qw

Is that the procedure for starting a console?

mgrexx

The procedure for a console is Power ON…..and play!!
For PC’s, it’s Power ON, setup, tweak, update, possibly upgrade card/cpu/board/XX AGAIN and pray the game is optimized and will ACTUALLY run!!!!

Robert Foy

Are you a member of the tea party? You sure spread FUD around like they do. Or is your IQ below 90? I suspect both.

mgrexx

I am a member of the real world, unlike you tools!!

Singh1699

No it’s turn on, while watching console still turning on as you have ssd.
Then it’s press play and watch console load for 5 minutes while you load in 1/4 of a minute.

mgrexx

Bro, you are on some serious crack when you say that with a straight face!!

TheManInUrPC

What is this shit on my screen? Oh, it’s just unintelligent words. I’m going to go and read some comments that have some actual sense to them, mgrexx. You just can’t seem to get a message across without looking like a complete idiot.

pornstar69

Go drink bleach Please

Singh1699

Read specs beats ps4. Also games are cheaper, so you can buy games use money you would have saved + sell video card and get better.

Singh1699

Rumble pack beat rumble, all others suck.

Singh1699

I’d rather work and blow money on that, than blow what you’re blowing to get console. Did you give all your ‘brains’ away?

mgrexx

I still have mine. You however, blew yours away with a pc revolver, tool!!

qw

Retard no. 2 on this thread.

mgrexx

Hello Retard No.1

mgrexx

Hello Retard No.1

iron_dinges

What’s with all the trolls in this thread? I mean, they can’t seriously believe what they’re saying, right?

mgrexx

That’s what you keep saying to yourself when we talk about your mom….but it’s still true bro!!!

Singh1699

From rexdale?

iron_dinges

What’s with all the trolls in this thread? I mean, they can’t seriously believe what they’re saying, right?

gameoholic007

I won’t support digital only consoles, so this and others like it yet to come will never make it into my house. It is a nice looking box though. =)

To be honest i was dissapointed on both consoles (Sony and Xbox) so i havent bought one yet and im glad this little Steam machine might be worth the wait. And i happily play old steam games versus big budget let downs such as Call of duty, dead
rising 3 etc lol.

Mathew McGuire

People stop mentioning PCs because Computers arent in this fight, PCs lost years ago they are almost obsolete gaming wise which is why Steam has suddenly created a ”console”. Consoles are the clear winners in the gaming trend, noone wants to take there computer to a store full of creeps asking to ”upgrade my computer” every fucking week so stop mentioning this statement as well.

Consoles graphics last a long time because there games dominate PC games. The key point is ”games” you can have the best graphics in the world but if you can only play PacMan then its a fail. And i would happily say that most Console games make PC games look like Pacman anyday of the week.

So stop mentioning PC noone is coming back, we all know you PC nerds are white, pimply and lonely. Use some Pro active get a console and invite your new friends over to play with you. Nuff said. (Xbox is better)

pornstar69

Go drink Bleach Please

pornstar69

Go drink Bleach Please

qw

Retard no. 3, oh wait, I saw you before..

mgrexx

You should have seen all of them. I would expect no less from you…..King Ratard himself!

Singh1699

Console graphics are crap. Look at Xbox 360 vs pc battlefield 4

outis

you seem very upset about some shit that does not involve you in any way.

Xplorer4x4

“First third-party Steam Machine achieves PC gaming power for just $500”
So what do the new gen consoles achieve? They are essentially just a PC in a box these days with a stripped down OS. They are using PC comparable parts to achieve there specs. Regardless if this is more powerful how do consoles NOT achieve PC gaming power? I could maybe understand IF the Steam OS/Box let’s you tweak your AA and all that fancy stuff, but otherwise what is the differentiator here?

Note: I am not arguing in favor of consoles vs PCs, just looking for clarification on the wording here.

outis

you can’t play pc games on them. seems trite, but you cannot have pc gaming power if you cannot play pc games.

Xplorer4x4

You can’t play PC games though. You can play ports of them, but the same can be said of the Xbox 1/360 and PS1/2/3. Hell, it may be possible that this goes back further to the likes of maybe Dreamcast, but that’s speculation as nothing stands out in my mind except maybe Unreal Tournament. Although wasn’t one of the latter Quake games available on a console?

Ray C

I still don’t see this being popular with anyone but people who are already users of a steambox or people who want a rig, but don’t feel like building it. Average users don’t get into specs and stats like people who read these blogs. What can they really do to make people not get one of the consoles or get one of these if they weren’t going to get a console? It would have to be exclusive games and a couple other features that make people think they just have to have it. They should have done this last generation when the other consoles were doing more with disc than downloadable content.

herrer

Before even investing in this I am concern if you need an on line connection every time you play a game. Also is this an all digital console to purchase STEAM games and is the hard drive replaceable cause I can imagine your going to need a bigger hard drive.

billym67

So, I am assuming, with 1080p out it must utilize HDMI, that if one was so inclind they could run this through the Xbox1 on the same tv? Not saying you would want to, but I’m guessing you could.

Frank Jaeger

gaming PCs tend to be more expensive in both the short and long-run *citation needed*

Peter

I’ll just build my own. Will be better and cheaper.

Chris Boose

Have to agree with Dozer. This article perpetuates myths about PC gaming that just aren’t true now. Sure, in the past gaming systems were pricy. Today, you can easily build a “viable” system for less than $500, especially if you have a working hard drive and Windows product key… “since the Steam Machine is essentially just a pre-built gaming PC that uses off-the-shelf parts, it was safe to assume that it would cost around the same price of one you’d build yourself.” How does that work? Are manufacturers assembling, packaging, shipping, and marketing their products for free now?

How can so many writers keep getting things so wrong?

“Unlike game consoles, gaming PCs
tend to be more expensive in both the short and long-run, as parts
quickly become outdated and are expensive to begin with, and the
openness and malleability of the platform means the hardware needs to be
updated more often.” ABSURD. I still have an old tower running XP, and it plays anything I install… well. I built the thing for about $600. It performed much better than XBox360 and PS3 when it was new, and will still beat the new consoles today. Outdated best describes “next-gen” consoles based on hardware that’s two-generations old by the time they make it to market, and won’t get any better during their entire life cycle.
Enough said.

David Stanley

bates 400 on sale now but CEO says the 5000 is coming soon
we hear the Bates 6000 is just around the corner

NEWs flash the BATES 8000 is now available

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